Report: Google watch coming “within months”

Google apparently thinks wearables are the future.

The Wall Street Journalreports that Google is nearing mass-production of an Android-based smartwatch. The device will be driven by Google Now, the predictive assistant that Google has been steadily improving and rolling out to additional platforms.

Google Now began as an evolution of Google's Search app. The service aggregates and analyzes any Google-facing data about the user, including Gmail accounts, Web usage, and search history. The user then sees notifications based on that data, including alerts for appointments, information about upcoming flights, or other snippets of data on topics of interest. The technology has been made available to iOS users, and it shows signs of being pushed to Google's Chrome browser. It is also an important component of Glass, Google's first wearable device.

Wearable computing has not yet proven itself as a technology, and the efforts produced so far haven't done much to engender support for the concept. Our own Ron Amadeo found the Galaxy Gear severely lacking in functionality, and more focused efforts, like the Pebble, have struggled with hardware and software support. If Google does indeed have plans to release a smartwatch, even in beta, a sensible target for release would be its annual I/O developer conference in the late spring.

more focused efforts, like the Pebble, have struggled with hardware and software support.

Could you please elaborate on what you mean here? By my understanding, Pebble has been the most successful of the initial attempts at 'smartwatches', despite the long time it took them to deliver a physical product.

I feel like all of the tech companies are assuming we want a watch - I think it will be a novelty item after the initial honeymoon period. That being said, I love Google Now and that it knows that I want to go to Chipotle for lunch and how long until I will be enjoying my burrito.

I'm not sure a watch will work in reality, especially if it is bulky. I more like the idea of touchless commands on my smartphone for Google Now.

Some people still wear quite big luxury watches. But indeed, there needs to be enough advancement in displays and batteries so that this can be small enough, have battery life of multiple days, and be fully readable in sunlight.

more focused efforts, like the Pebble, have struggled with hardware and software support.

Could you please elaborate on what you mean here? By my understanding, Pebble has been the most successful of the initial attempts at 'smartwatches', despite the long time it took them to deliver a physical product.

Software-wise, we don't have the array of support we thought we'd get. There is support out there, just not great.

Hardware-wise.. I don't know. Perhaps he's talking about technical support? The Pebble connects to a wide array of devices, so I don't think that's an issue.

I just don't see many use-cases for smartwatches. It's almost like the paleofuture sections over at gizmodo. Smartwatches just seem like a holy-grail technology from 1960, just like flying cars and personal rocket packs.

To me this is just the beginning. Even iPhone was not "the" iPhone people know today when it launched. Given a few years, miniaturization, software and hardware optimization this will be a very interesting space.

It's also quite possible that the breakthrough wearable that takes the world by storm may not even come from Google or Apple.

The biggest challenge I see with a device like this is style. To be functional it needs a decent sized screen, but any watch with a decent sized screen is going to look horrible in a business setting. I'm not going to get dressed for work, put on my tie, then strap a bulky square lcd screen to my wrist.

If they can find some way to make this look like a nice watch with a real strap and a normal looking fact it sounds great. Unfortunately I expect a big square block with a plastic strap, which for myself as well as others would make it a non-starter.

So long as it can selectively filter relevant search history and make predictive results based on what I would want to do while walking around town then sure, could be cool. Then again given the stream of spam hitting my gmail and the occasional late night search the thing may always try pointing me towards cheap pharmaceuticals and porn.

Actually if it can limit that to weekends that's just fine too, bring it.

Wearables were one's clothing knows more about the wearer than the wearer does.

Imagine sensors that measure everything with smarts in the cloud.

Your blood sugar is low. Grab a Snickers™

You jest, but a small, unobtrusive device that monitors blood sugar, blood pressure, heart rate, or any other of a number of health related things would be very helpful to a large group of people.

I agree.

A watch that shouts "Put down the Snickers and get some f***ing exercise!", then zaps them with small electric shocks until they do so would be very helpful to a group of large people.

He's likely referring to diabetics, but I like your idea too.

Diabetics, people with heart or blood pressure issues, runners....the list of people who could benefit from bio-feedback is huge. I'm really surprised that no one has yet to make a good device for this.

The biggest challenge I see with a device like this is style. To be functional it needs a decent sized screen, but any watch with a decent sized screen is going to look horrible in a business setting. I'm not going to get dressed for work, put on my tie, then strap a bulky square lcd screen to my wrist.

If they can find some way to make this look like a nice watch with a real strap and a normal looking fact it sounds great. Unfortunately I expect a big square block with a plastic strap, which for myself as well as others would make it a non-starter.

Ehhh.. I am not what you might call "stylish," but some of the watches worn by the hip and trendy kids around here have bigger faces than my Pebble. Same goes for one executive in the building. Not all over even most, but some (and one). So, I don't think screen size is a limiting factor with regard to style.

more focused efforts, like the Pebble, have struggled with hardware and software support.

Could you please elaborate on what you mean here? By my understanding, Pebble has been the most successful of the initial attempts at 'smartwatches', despite the long time it took them to deliver a physical product.

Successful, but so far their capability to keep the watch-up to-date with OS changes is pretty disappointing. Many iOS users are left with unreliable notifications, and so far no support for the Notification Listener service on Android.

I just don't see many use-cases for smartwatches. It's almost like the paleofuture sections over at gizmodo. Smartwatches just seem like a holy-grail technology from 1960, just like flying cars and personal rocket packs.

What about a smartwatch that controls your personal jetpack, though? I was watching Lost in Space with my sci-fi-nuts nine-year-old last week, and the controls for that jetpack looked just plain inconvenient to use...